Bedell's Blitz: Alouettes Week 3 game wrap: Toronto Argonauts

On a Friday night set up with enough subplots to make a Hollywood screenwriter drool, it was a case of all's well that end's well for the Alouettes.

Anthony Calvillo's pursuit of the CFL's all-time record for TD passes may have led off the drama, but it was the absence of his favourite target, SB Jamel Richardson, and the threat of facing the league's stingiest pass defence that really complicated the plot.

The game also held the intrigue of Montreal's porous special teams coverage having to contain the CFL's most dangerous kick returner in Chad Owens, a player more than capable of tilting the field every time he touches the ball.

Then, just for emotional impact, the Als added to the mix a powerful cameo appearance by future Hall of Famer Ben Cahoon who was being honoured at halftime for his storied career in Montreal.

Given the fact that the Argos were heading into the tilt with their hate on over the beat-down they received from the Als in last year's East Final, it was sure to be a tense, combative affair.

By the time the final gun sounded, though, the Als had managed to turn massive offensive production and stifling defence into a vital 40-17 divisional win over the Toronto Argonauts in a game that was nowhere near as easy as the scoreboard indicated.

Whitaker Goes to Work

Facing the league's hottest passer, the Argos chose to play the game defensively in a 30 front, rushing three defensive linemen and dropping nine players into coverage to clog Anthony Calvillo's passing lanes. That strategy opened up tons of space underneath the Argos' coverage, and it also afforded Calvillo ample time to exploit it.

The main beneficiary of Toronto's tactic was RB Brandon Whitaker, who scorched the Argos early and often, ripping off substantial gains on the ground and via outlet passes.

All totaled, Whitaker finished the night with career numbers, rushing for 120 yards and a major on 16 carries. He also led all Als receivers with 11 catches for 94 yards.

Both running and receiving, Whitaker made the most of the space Argos surrendered with decisive cuts and aggressive moves to daylight. It was the kind of workhorse performance that will make Als fans forget last year's starting running back in a hurry if he can keep it up.

A.C.'s Patience is a Rare Virtue

As often as football pundits talk about how important it is for a quarterback to simply "take what the defence gives them," it's a rare sight to actually see a professional QB exercise the patience exhibited by Anthony Calvillo against the Argos Friday night.

Forced to put the ball in the air 43 times to move the chains, Calvillo exercised judicious caution over and again dumping the ball off to Whitaker quickly after checking his deeper reads or getting the ball off right away to his receivers on screen passes.

As tempting as it must have been to go for the kill shot on deep balls to break open such a tight game, Calvillo only did so on rare occasions, and only against man coverage along the boundaries so that his receiver had the best play on the ball (or no play at all).

It was truly a masterful display of patience and self-restraint. And more than any other aspects of Calvillo's game, his prudence and consistency against Toronto were the difference between winning and losing.

Five Plays that Swung the Game

1) The Record Breaker, Calvillo's TD Pass #395. (1st Quarter, 10:11)

Lined up to the far left in a three-receiver set to the field side, Eric Deslauriers got on the Argos' CB quickly from the eight-yard line, establishing inside position and splitting Toronto's zone with a post route to the back of the end zone. Calvillo's pump to the field froze safety Willie Pile just enough to give him space to drop the ball in to Deslauriers inches from the paint. Argos' head coach Jim Barker challenged the play, but A.C.'s pass was too perfect for the replay to overturn history. More than anything, getting the record out of the way early in the game allowed the Als' offence to operate without getting off script. It also let the Argos know their pass defence was far from impregnable.

2) Chad Owens' 89-yard Kick Return. (1st Quarter, 10:23)

Kicking from his 40-yard line after an Argos' offsides penalty, Sean Whyte directed the ball right to Chad Owens just inside the numbers at the seven-yard line. The low, driving kick gave Owens plenty of space to attack the Als' coverage at full speed, splitting coverage lanes quickly and getting upfield. If De'Audra Dix hadn't hustled back to cut Owens off, allowing Etienne Boulay to catch him from behind, the play would've been a sure six points for Toronto. As it was, Owens' long return provided immediate field position the Argos' offence could never have provided itself and set up a one-play TD drive to tighten the game unnecessarily at 7-7.

3) Chad Kackert's 53-yard TD Catch. (3rd Quarter, 9:01)

On second and 11, Chad Kackert came free on a wheel route for an easy score to get the Argos back into the game at 23-17. Als' LB Diamond Ferri jumped Argos' FB Jeff Johnson on the underneath route in the flat, and that left Kackert all alone down the sideline. It was another big play for Toronto that allowed the game to be much more competitive than the stat line would've suggested.

4) John Bowman's Strip Sack. (3rd Quarter, 15:00)

At a point in the game where the Argos' defence was beginning to stymie the Als' attack, John Bowman's strip sack blew everything open for Montreal, setting Calvillo and the offence up on Toronto's 13-yard line in prime position to pull away. On the play, Bowman rushed from the right end and sped into the Argos' backfield untouched when LT Rob Murphy blocked down on Als' DT Eric Wilson instead of scraping Bowman first to delay his rush. Wilson jumped on the loose ball, and the game was over for all intents and purposes.

5) Chip Cox's 108-yard Fumble Return TD. (4th Quarter, 12:39)

With the Argos breathing on the Als' goal line on a second and one from the one-yard line, LB Diamond Ferri hit Chad Kackert right on the ball causing the fumble. When the ball squirted up, Chip Cox grabbed it out of the air and sprinted the length of the field for a CFL record-tying return. As impressive as Cox's run was, it might not have happened without the hustle of LB Ramon Guzman and DE Anwar Stewart who tore upfield to cut off the Argos' Chad Owens before he could make a run at Cox. Surprisingly, it took 58 minutes of game time to do it, but Cox's TD return finally put the game on ice.

Up Next

Be sure to check back next Saturday for my preview of the Alouettes' game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. I'll be taking a close look at the importance of pass protection in the match-up, and I'll break down the importance of attacking downfield in the passing game on the outcome of the tilt.

Until then, take care, and enjoy this season's roll while we're on it.